Extreme mountain bike trails in Tasmania

In Tasmania, mountain bike enthusiasts are getting 100 kilometres of challenging new trails.

"One of the most exciting things about this particular spot is it really offers us terrain to develop more challenging trails," track designer, Rob Potter said.

"It's something which is definitely under supplied in Tasmania at the moment."

Three big mountain bike track building projects worth $4 million have been announced for north eastern Tasmania.

The idea is to have trails spanning the north east from Lilydale to the slopes near St Helens that are internationally competitive.

The project is a catalyst to stimulate new enterprises in the region and attract a new kind of visitor to the forest reserves which no longer bring income from timber or mining.

Contracts have been awarded to World Trail to construct 75km of mountain bike trails around Derby and Blue Tier, and to Dirt Art for a 20-kilometre section through the Hollybank Forest Reserve near Lilydale.

Dirt Art track designer Rob Potter has been riding mountain bikes since childhood in Tasmania, is apparently a pretty extreme rider and is one who sees enormous potential in the unique mountain landscape in the north east.

Tracks factor in rare and threatened plants

Rob's working with Bush Matters consultant, Anna Povey who surveys species needing protection in potential new bike trail areas.

Anna is also a keen cyclist and vice-president of the Tamar Bicycle Users Group.

Rob Potter and Anna Povey are factoring threatened plants into the new series of mountain bike trails, including an extremely rare heath, Epacris graniticola, that's found by the sheer granite slopes on Mt Stronach near Scottsdale.

"This is one of the most important sites for this species," she said.

"The species is critically endangered nationally.

"That's pretty endangered. That's the highest category.

"So we really need to look after this plant."I've always enjoyed working with Rob because he's really good at taking natural values seriously and working around them to try and protect things as well as we can.

"He's really good at going around them, and then they shouldn't have any problems," Anna Povey said.